Football game apparatus



Oct. 30, 1951 v. DE PALMA 2,573,314

' FOOTBALL GAME APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 30, 1951 1 v, DE PALMA Y 2,573,314`

FOOTBALL GAME APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2' 11g iq] /n l/e/Y for Oct. 30, 1951 v. DE PALMA FOOTBALL GAME APPARATUS v 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed J\ 1ne 29, 1949 man W W l v 0 l l I W Patented' oct. so, 1951 UNITED' STATES OFFICE Y 2,573,314f" l v l FooTBAIJp GAME'nPrARTus vincent De Palma, Eastnaveng cnam Appicatibn June 29', 1949*,'t's`1fia'1Nbi- 102,621

The present invention relates in generalV to4 games and more particularly togame apparatusA for playing a game-of football which may bec'on-v tested by two competing--playersandwhih simuvl` lates regulation football.

An object of the'inventfionisto provide aisu-V perior game apparatus which is durable, relative-A lyA inexpensive, and: wherein`V thei judgmentY mental dexterityY ofY competitive playerswill dei termine, in large-part, they outcome of theY game.

A further object of the inventionis4 to provide a superior football-gamev apparatus whereiny the outcome of the game depends upon the measure of each players skill as a quarterback in a footballgame'.

' A- further object of the'invention is to provide a superior football-game apparatus wherein players compete with eachother, each player be=V ing able to make offensive and defensive plays for scoring points in accordance with regulation football rules.

A stillV further objectof the invention is to provide afootball-'game apparatus adaptedto'lbevide a football-game apparatus embodying av ball-receiver, on opposite sides of which" twoy players are adapted tostandand-to manipulate, without the knowledge of the yother player, suitable slides for exercising control over the passage of a ball from a ball-receiver to a plurality of yardage-areas which are connected to'4 the ref ceiver by suitable chutes.

With the above and other yobjects in view, as` will appear to those skilled in the art from' the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said.` disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying'. drawings,- inl which.v certain modes of carrying out the present invention-l are. shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig 1 is a left-side-eievauon of the-footbau-- game -appara'tusot this invention;

Fig; 2 is a right-side elevationk of the" football-` game apparatus of this'invention'g' i Fig. 3' is an enlarged top planrview of theffot'- ball-.game apparatus-'of-Figs. 1 "and butv witl'ithe' cover removedV and showingkthe disposition off the ball-receiver relative1to1ftheyardage-areassof= yardage'- areas' with: the ball-receiver Fig: S-isaperSpeCtiVeVievV ofone" of a pairorf guiderblocksused tfo-slfi'dably support the operati' ing-'slides of tlie'gan'i'e'- apparatus; v j

Fig'. 7 is' anL enlarged: front" elevation' in section" on line' 'lr-"T -of Fig;V fl shovvir'igY details'of" the?l criut'es'v connecting' opposite sides respectively'ioff the* closed" ballareceiver';

Fig. 8j is an'enlargedbrokeh'rear elevation'on' section' li'ne 8h28 of- Fig': 4, showingy a' ball-outlet" port' in the bottom o'f' thev closedA hall'-receiyer, closed*- olii-' 'from the" `corr'spending chutes by means-'o'L theV manually'#operated` slides;

Fig. 9- is anenlarged" fragmentary plan eleva-- tion inf section" onf' 1inef 9==9i of Fig. 4 showing a" balloutlet portj ofthe'-closed' ballre'ceive'closed" by Vmeansof the'-manually-operatedslidem Fig; :[0l is4 aw perspectives View of' one ofl a" pair off manually''-epera't'edL slides for closing and; opening a ball-outlet* port oftheclosedballe-'resi ceiver;'r 4 l l Figi. 11 is aperspective viewl ofi the secondo'ff' the? pair of manually-operatedslidesi for closing' and opening' a balli-outletportl'ofthe c-losedball-r receiver; and' lball-receiver.

and is provided with substantially triangularshaped side walls I1' and I8 respectively which constitute integral extensions of the corresponding side walls I1 and I8 of the box-like member I5. A partition 2I extends across the upper part of the box-like member I5 and divides the the interior of the latter into upper and lower chambers 22 and 23 respectively, the partition 2i constituting the floor board of the upper chamber 22 and being inclined forwardly and downwardly, as shown especially well in Fig. 4, so as to form a sloping surface for feeding a ball by gravity from the back of the upper chamber 22 to the forward end thereof, for the purpose hereinafter de-` scribed. The top of the box-like member l5 is` closed by a cover 24 which is permanently fastened over the top of the upper chamber 22.` The latter is then, in effect, a completely closed chamber and is hereinafter referred to as a closed A partition 25 is secured uprightly on the floor 2I of the upper chamber 22 substantially intermediate its opposite sides I1 and I8 so as to divide the upper chamber into two separate ball-compartments 26 and 21 respectively.

As shown especially well in Fig. 3, the front edge of the floor 2| of the upper chamber is intersected at two longitudinally-spaced points therealong by substantially U-shaped ball-outlet ports 28 and 29 respectively, each of which extends through the floor 2l and constitutes a ball-outlet port of one of the compartments 26 and 21 respectively of the closed ball-receiver 22.

Secured to the underside of the floor 2| adjacentits front edge and extending longitudinallyT thereof, is a pair of slide-guide blocks 30 and 3i having longitudinal channels 32 and 33 respectively in their upper faces, the channels being substantially U-shaped in cross section and extending beneath the respective ball-outlet ports 28 and 2Q of the compartments 26 and 21. Referring especially to Fig. 6, longitudinal channels 32 and 33 respectively have spaced-parallel substantially-vertical walls which are provided with longitudinal inwardly-projecting tongues 34-34 and 35-35 respectively substantially intermediate the top and bottom edges of the walls, these tongues serving as a guide-means for supporting the manually-operated slides of the game apparatus, as and for the purpose hereinafter described. Cut through the bottom of the channels 32 and33 of the respective guide-blocks immediately beneath the respective U-shaped balloutlet port 28 and 29 of the ball-compartments 28 and 21, are substantially-rectangular apertures 36 and 31 respectively, the over-all dimensions of each aperture corresponding substantially to the over-all dimensions of the respective ball-outlet ports 28 and 29. Cut through the front walls of the channeled guide-blocks substantially opposite the apertures 36 and 31 respectively thereof, are substantially U-shaped clearance-grooves 38 and 39, the width of each clearance-groove corresponding substantially to the width of its respective channel-aperture 36 and 31, and the depth of each groove corresponding substantially to the depth of its respective channel. These U-shaped clearance-grooves 38 and 39 of the channeled guide-blocks are disposed immediately opposite transversely-spaced apertures 4|! and 4I respectively formed in the front wall 2U of the box-like member I5, as shown especially well in Fig, 3. Projecting from the front face of the front wall 20 in a substantially-horizontal plane, is a'platform 42 which extends beneath each of the apertures 40 and 4I and is provided on its front edge with an upright guard-rail 43, the opposite ends of which are fastened securely to the face of the front wall 28 adjacent the corresponding ends of the platform, to provide an enclosure for holding a ball on the platform 42.

Formed at the forward end of the extension I6 of the base I6 are four disk-shaped areas hereinafter referred to as yardage-areas 44, 45, 43 and 41 respectively, each having a plurality of indentations, indicated generally at 48, arranged in concentric circles in its respective base;

l and a relatively-low Wall circumscribing its base 'as indicated at 43, 55, 5I and 52 respectively. l5

Yof which is preferably substantially U-shaped in cross section and formed of any suitable material such as, for example, stiff cardboard, thin sheet metal, or an equivalent relatively-inexpensive material. I'he lower end of each chute intersects the corresponding Wall of its respective yardage-area, while the upper ends of the chutes are connected to the aforesaid guide-blocks. More particularly, the two chutes 53 and 54 on the left side of the apparatus (as seen in Fig. 3) are connected at their upper ends in side-by-side relationship in the single guide-block aperture 33 which is in communication with the ball-outlet port of the left-hand compartment 26 of the closed ball-receiver. The lower end of the chute 53 intersects the wall 49 of the yardage-area 44 substantially tangential to the outer side thereof, while the lower end of the chute 54 intersects the wall 53 of the yardage-area 45 substantially tangential to its outer side. Similarly, the upper ends of the two inclined chutes 55 and 55 on the right-hand side of the apparatus are connected in side-by-side relationship in. the single guideblock aperture 31 which is in communication with the ball outlet-port of the right-hand compartment 21 of the closed ball-receiver 22, while the lower ends of the respective chutes 55 and 56 intersect the respective walls 5 I and 52 of the yardage-areas 46 and 41 respectively, substantially tangential to the outer sides thereof.

The yardage-areas at the left-hand side of the apparatus, as seen in Fig. 3, are for passes, the area 44 being for short passes and kickoffs and the area 45 being for long passes and punts. The yardage-areas 46 and 41 on the right-hand side of the apparatus are for runs, the area 46 being for short runs, and the area 41 for long runs, extra points and eld goals.

It will be appreciated that the identification of these areas of the apparatus is specifically commensurate with the use of the apparatus for playing a game of football, but that it is within the purview ofthe invention to identify these areas with the characteristic actions of other games.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4 and 1, the upper chamber or closed ball-receiver 22 is provided with a pair of chutes 51 and 58 respectively, which are substantially U-shaped in cross section and formed of any suitable inexpensive material such as cardboard, thin metal or the like, each chute being supported at its outer end substantially opposite to and in communication with a substantially-rectangular aperture 59 and 60 respectively formed in the upper rear corners of the respective side walls I1 and I8 of the ball-receiver ,22. The inner ends of the respective chutes 51 and 58 are supported by and extend over the aforesaid partition 25 of the upper chamber or ball-receiver 22,` to-vvhichend the upper edge of thepartition isv provided with sub-- stantially U-shaped notches tov receive thecor. responding portions of the respective chutes. Asv noted especially wellin Figs. 3` and '7-J the inner end of the chute 5'1- in the left-hand` compart ment 26 of the uper chamber 22- extends across the partition 2-5 intov the right-hand compartment 21, while the inner end ofthe chute 58 inthe right-hand compartment extends across the partition 25 into the left-hand compartment 26 of` the upper chamber 22, bothchutesbeing incl-ined downwardly .therei-n. 1 It will be" obvious that by introducing a ballintoone- Orl-thev other; of the rectangular apertures -53 and- `tft-respectivel-y in the corresponding side wallofthe b'allreceiver 22, the ball will pass down the correspending chute intoV the compartment inthe opposi-te side respectively thereof.. l

Provided in the side wal-ls I-'I- and-IB--respectively of the box-like member adjacent the ree-L tangular apertures 5-9 and 60 respectively there-V of, are round apertures 6|- and 62- respectivelywhich provide access to the corresponding comev partments 26 and- 21- o-fthe closed ball-receiver 22. For carrying out the characteristic actionsof a regulationV footballgame, in the man-ner: hereinafter described, the rectangular aperture 59 in the left-hand side ofthe receiveris. identified by the Word-"frun-,- while the rectangularY aperture Ell-in theright-hand-side of the-receiver is identified by the wordpass. Likewise, the round aperture El, in the left-hand sideof'- the receiver is identified by the wordfpas's," while the round aperture 62- in the right-hand side of.- the receiver is identi-fied by the word frunf- Clearly, then, when a ball is introduced-into the run aperture in the left-hand sideofthe receiver or into the pass aperture` in therighthand side of the receiver, the ballwillv be-conveyed by the corresponding chu-te into-theopposite compartment ofthe receiver and wil-lrolldown the inclined floor thereof tothe balloutlet port at its front edge.` Similarly, a ballintroduced into the pass aperture in the lef-.thand side of the receiver or in the ru-n aperture in the right-hand side of the receivery willconnection, in order that a ball in either one of the compartments of the receiver may be guidedinto its corresponding ball-outlet port, each compartment is provided at its front end With a pair of-'upstanding,ball-deflecting boards 63-63 and 6'4-64 respectively, each pair of ball-deflecting boards converging from its upper ends inwardlyand downwardly to the corresponding ball-'outlet ports 23 and 29 of the respective compartments 26 and 21. Thus, it will be clear that wheneverja ball is dropped into the left-hand comp''ari-.mentv either by Way of the round pass aperture 61| in the left-hand side of the receiver, or by wayA of the chute 58 of the rectangular.pas sf,. aper-l ture 60 in the right-hand side of the receiver,

the ball will roll down the inclined floor board z-l-r ofthe compartment and-be guided-by 'the-m11-L meeting boards a4- at into` the. bau-outlet port 2a of the right-hand. compartment 21.

Ball-controlling means By referring to Fig. 4, it will be clear that al ball which has been introduced into either the rightor left-hand compartment of the' closed ball-receiver, in the manner hereinabove de-V scribed, Will roll down tothe ball-outlet'portv of its respective compartment, and that in this po'- siti'on Ythe ball will be immediately opposite one or'the other ofthe clearance-grooves 3S and 3,5)` the front walls of the slide-guide blocks, and'vr the corresponding aperture 4U- and 4l respectively in the front vwall 2f) of the box-like member. Consequently,v were it not for suitable gate@ means located immediately rearwardly of the respective apertures 4U: and 4I in the front wall 20 of the receiver, a ball in either lone of the compartments would roll freely out onto the en.

closed platform 42. To control egress of a ballj from the compartments by way of the apertures in the front wall of the receiver, manually-opere' ated gate-means, indicated generally at jand; 6j?V respectively, are provided immediately rearwardly of the rear face of the front wallfl for covering its apertures lli) and 4l, each gate cornprising a substantially-rectangular plate el. and' G8y respectively of thin sheet metal or equivalent material, the outside dimensions of which are greater than the corresponding dimensions of the.

aforesaid apertures dit and 4I in the front Wall',

of the receiver; and lift-rodsSS andflw respecf' tively secured at their lower ends toy the upperi edges of the respective plates 61 andes@substan-A tially intermediate the opposite ends thereof. rIfhe upper ends of the respective lift-rods and` 'ill project through guide-apertures in the cover of the receiver and are provided at their upperv extremities with suitable handhelds H and' T2 respectively. Mounted on the lift-rods between the underside ofthe cover and the upper edges,V of5 the respective plates, are coil-springs ify and'.

TQrespectively, the compression of eachspring being adaptedv normally to hold its respective plate down over the corresponding aperture de 4I :respectively in the frontl wall of the receiver.

By referring to Fig. 3, it will be clear that the oppositely-disposed edges of the plate of each gate-means are adapted to engage in verticali:

grooves formed in the inner ends of the corre"-v sponding converging ball-deflecting boards,

whereby the plates are held adjacent the rear:

ever, when itv is desired to remove a ball from: either one of the closed compartments of the closedv ball-receiver, under the circumstances r hereinafter described, the corresponding gate@` may be drawn up manually substantially vertically to uncover the corresponding aperture in f the front wall of theV device, so as to enable thef.'

ball to roll out onto the enclosed platform.

vAdditional control-,meansV are provided' for' controllingY thev movement of a ball frorn'the4 compartments of.V thel closed ball-receiver totlie'j, yadage-areashereinabove described; As shown especially well in Figs. 8, 9, and 11, these addi-1 tional control-means constitute two pairs of manually-operated slides -16 and 15-1B'. Inasmuch as the corresponding slides of each pair of slides are substantially identical in construction, except for such obvious alterations as are necessary to accommodate the respective pairs of slides for operation in the left-hand side and right-hand side respectively of the ball-receiver, the description which follows Will be confined to the pair of slides 15-16, adapted for use in the right-hand side of the apparatus, the

corresponding parts of the left-hand slides having similar reference characters applied thereto plus a prime VReferring to Fig. 10, the operating-slide 15 comprises a strip of relatively-thin sheet-metal stock or equivalent material having a substantially-rectangular reach 11 reduced at its outer end to provide a pair of stop-shoulders 18; and a finger-grip portion 19 provided with a clown- Wardly-bent lip 8D. Formed integrally at the opposite end of the reach 11 and extending at substantially right angles thereto in the plane thereof, is a leg 8l, the outer end of which is bent upwardly at substantially right angles as at 82 and supports a substantially-rectangular slide-leaf 83 in a plane above and substantially parallel to the plane of the reach 11, the slideleaf 83 extending forwardly of and at substantially right angles to the leg 8i of the slide. Formed vertically in the slide-leaf 83 is a ballescape aperture 84. As mentioned above, the operating-slide 15 of Fig. 10 is designed for use in the right-hand side of the receiver. The operating-slide 15 for the left-hand side of the receiver is substantially identical to the slide 15, except that its right-angle leg 8| extends from its corresponding reach 11 in the opposite direction.

The second slide 16 of the pair of operatingslides for use in the right-hand side of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 11 and comprises a relatively-short substantially-rectangular sheetmetal member having a slide-leaf portion 85 provided in its front edge with a U-shaped ballescape aperture 86. Extending from the outer end of the slide-leaf 85 is an integral finger-grip portion 81 of reduced Width, which forms stopshoulders 88-88 at the outer end of the slide-leaf. A depending lip 85 is formed on the outer end of the finger-grip 81, and extending laterally from one side of the slide-leaf is a lug 98, the inner edge of which constitutes a stop-shoulder 9i. The operating-slide 16 shown in Fig. l1 is adapted particularly for use in the right-hand side of the receiver, but it will be appreciated that the operating-slide 15' for the left-hand side of the receiver is substantially identical, except that the ball-escape aperture 86 and the laterally-projecting lug 90 are on opposite edges respectively of the slide-leaf 85.

The respective pairs of operating-slides 15-16 and 15-16' are adapted to be slidably mounted in the game apparatus in a substantially-horizontal plane, immediately beneath the underside of the floor board 2l of the receiver 22 and adjacent the rear face of the front wall 20 thereof, for

controlling the escape of a ball from either one of the ball-outlet ports of the compartments of the closed ball-receiver to the respective chutes of the yardage-areas. To these ends, the relatively-long slides 15 and 15 respectively are supported at their respective outer ends by the reaches 19 and 19' in horizontal slots formed. in

the corresponding side walls of the receiver, the slots being disposed rearwardly of a vertical plane intersecting the ball-outlet ports of the respective ball-receiving compartments, so that the reaches of the respective slides pass to the rear of the aforesaid ball-outlet ports and, more particularly, rearwardly of the vertical legs of the chutes 53, 54, 55 and 56. However, due to the substantially right-angle bend which the slideleaf supporting-leg of each operating-slide makes with its respective reach, the slide-leaves 83 and 83" of the respective slides will be positioned.

immediatelvbeneath the respective ball-outlet ports of the ball-receiving compartments. More particularly, the slide-leaf 83 of the operatingslide 15 in the right-hand side of the apparatus will be disposed beneath the ball-outlet port 28 of kthe left-hand compartment, while the slideleaf 83' of the operating-slide 15 `in the left,-A hand sideof the apparatus Will be disposed beneath the ball-outlet port 29 of the right-hand compartment. The inner ends of the slides 15 and 15' respectively are slidably supported by the guide-blocks of their respective compartments by engagement of the longitudinal edges of the respective slide-leaves 83 and 83 in the guidegrooves, which are dened by the bottoms of the channels of 'its respective guide-blocks and the inwardly-extending tongues of the walls thereof, as shown especially well in Fig. 4.

The relatively-short operating-slides 1B and 16' are supported at their outer reduced ends in horizontal slots in the respective side walls of the receiver, the inner ends of the slides being supported by engagement of the slide-leaf portions 85 and 85 respectively thereof in guide-grooves of the corresponding guide-blocks, the grooves of which are defined by the upper edges oi the tonguesk thereof and the underside of the floor board 2l of the closed receiver 22.

Each slide is adapted to be moved in and out relative to its corresponding slot in the wall of the box-like member l5, the inner movement of each operating-slide 15 and 15 respectively being limitedfby engagement of its respective portion 82 and 82 with the adjacent end of its respective guide-block; and the outer movement of each operating-slide 15 and 15 respectively being limited by engagement of its stop-shoulder 18 and 18 respectively with the corresponding side walls of the receiver. In a similar marmer, the inner movement of each of the operatingslides 16 and 16 respectively is limited by engagement of its respective stop-shoulder 9i and 9i with the outer ends of the corresponding guideblockLwhile the outward movement of each slide 1B and 16 respectively is limited by engagement of its stop-shoulder 88 and 88 with the corresponding side wall of the receiver.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 5, it will be clear.'

that by moving the left-hand slide 15' inand out,'the ball-escape aperture 84 of its slide-leaf Will be moved sequentially into registry with the' upper end of the chute 56 and the upper end of the chutes 53 and 54 in the left-hand side of the,

ap'paratusyand, similarly, by vmoving the operating-slide 1B in and out, its ball-escape aperture 86 will be moved sequentially into alignment With the upper ends of the two chutes 55 and 56 in the right-hand side of the apparatus, as and for the purposes hereinafter described. Thus, while the operating-slides -16 and I5- 16' have been and are hereinafter referred to as the respective right and left pairs of operating-slides of the game apparatus, 'it Will be appreciated that insofar as the slides are 'used conjunctively for controlling the egress of a ball 'from either` of the two compartments, the slide 15 and the slide 16 coact to control the egress of a ball from the left-hand compartment '26, and the slides 'E5' and 16 coact to control the egress of 'a ball Yfrom the right-hand compartment 21.

As pointed out at the outset, the device of this invention is especially adapted for use in simulating a football game and, consequently, suit- 'able indicia are provided to indicate to the players the functions of the respective elements voi 'the apparatus. Thus, the operating-slide 15 in "the left-hand side of 'the apparatus is identified tifie'd by the word pass v The operating-slide 15" inthe left-hand side of the'apparatus is iden- 'tiii'ed by the word pass while the operatm ing-slide 15in the right-hand side of the appara'tus is identified bythe word run The four yarda'geeareas of the game apparatus are provided also withsuitable indicia, as shown especially 'well Vin Fig. 3, for indicating the nurnber of yards .gained in any on'e play, the nuin'- ber of yards gained being indicated by a nurnber in the center of each of the inde'ntures of the yardage-areas. Furthert the indentures of the yardage-areas i14'and`45, designated as short pass and long pass, respectively are provided with numbers above and below the indentures. These numbers are associated with 'kick plays, the number above the indenture being the length of the kick, and the number below the indenture being the length of the run-back. The longrun section of the yardage-area 41 is used 'also "for extra points after touchdown and for field goals, and to these lends the indentures of this section are provided with letters G and NG standing for good and not good respectively.

Adapted to be used in 'conjunction with the 'game apparatus is a football-Iield board 92 (see Fig. 12) laid out to represent a regulation football eld, the board being provided with parallel rows of apertures 93 and 54 running along the sid'e lines and centrally thereof respectively, and spaced apart to represent one yard. A peg 95 may be inserted in the apertures 94 of the board to indicate' the position of the ball after 'each play, while two pegs Sti-96 connected by a chain 91, are provided for the apertures 93 torepresent linesmen, the chain 91 being of such length that the linesmens pegs 96;-56 are spaced apart a distance equal to ten yards.

Operation of 'game apparatus The operation of the game apparatus may be described in general as follows.

The two pairs of operatingeslides 15=16 and 1516 are used by the offense and the de# fense respectively, or vice versa, for controlling the movement of a ball or marble which come plet'es each play. As indicated by the indicia on opposite sides respectively of the apparatus,- one operating-slide of each pair of slidesjs for fro controlling running plays, and the other slide is for controllmg passes, each slide being movable in and out relative to its Vrespective slot in the side 'of the 'member I5 for selecting either a long o'r vshort lplay, -as the case may be. In this respect, it lwill be appreciated that the two positions referred to above of the respective slides effect 'a long or short play by permitting a 'ball 'to escape from its compartment by way of the proper chute into the yardage-area corresponding 'to a lo'ng orshort play. For indicating to the players these two positions of the slides, the out- 'ivardly-projecting reaches thereof may be provided with inner and outer color bands. YThus, when the slides 15 and 15' are moved inwardly vto bring their outer color 'bands up to the slots in the corresponding side walls of the bok-like member l5, their ball-escape apertures 8`4`84' respectively Will overlie the upper ends of fthe chute'sd r`and :56 vrespectively `for effecting eitlri'e'r a long pass or a long run. If these same `slides are pulled Voutwardly to bring their inner color 'bands ouijl 'to the slots in the corresponding "side walls of 'the box-like member I5, then the balles'cape apertures '8'4 and 84 o`f these slidesvvill overlie the upper ends of the chutes 53 and 55 respectively for effecting ashort pass or a Vshort run. Conversely, if `t-he defense anticipates that the offense is going to try a long run, then the defense sets his slide :for a short run, that is to say, assuming that he is on the left-hand side of the apparatus, he pulls his slide 15' outwardly, thereby moving the ball-escape aperture 84 o f his slide out of alignment with the upper end of the chute 56. Consequently, Ythe imperforate portion of the slide-leaf 83' of his slide extends across the upper end of the long-run chute 56j, thereby preventing the ball from entering the chute and hence effectively blocking the play.

The slides 16 and 16' operate in a similar manner but in the reverse order, i. e., when the slides are moved inwardly to bring their outer color bands up to the slots in the corresponding side or a-short pass.l Conversely, by moving the slides 16 and 16 outwardly, they may be used de fensively to block va short run or a short pass. From the Vforegoing description, it will be clear that in playing a game, the oifense may select and set his operating-slides so as to make one of four possible plays, that -is to say, either a short or long pass, or a short or long run, whereas the vdefense may set his operating-slides so as to block two of the four possible Pla-ys, that is to say, he 4may set one slidefor Iblocking `-a pass and one slide for blocking a run.

Assuming, by way of example, that the offense is stationed at `the left side of the apparatus and has 'set hisoperating-slide 15' for effecting a long run which, incidentally, he does not dis-` close to his opponent; and that the` latterhas adjusted his operating-slides to settings which in' his judgment and experience he believes will blockrthe forthcoming 'play of the offense, then the yoffense inserts a marble or ball in the reca tangular aperture 59 in his side of the box-like member 15. The b all will roll down the `chute 51 into thel'clo'sed-jcompartinent 21 in the right-V hand sideof the closed ball-receiver to the ball; outlet port 291m the front edge thereof. In the event the defense has been astute enough -indenture in which the ball comes to rest.

f te move his operating-slide 'Hi so as t'o cut off the ball-outlet port 29 from the ball-escape aper- `ture 86' of the oienses slide, then the ball is effectively blocked from escaping into the upper end of the chute 56 and no gain is made. This blocked play will constitute one down for the offense. The blocked ball is then retrieved from the yclosed compartment 2l of the receiver 22 by lifting the gate B6 so as to permit the ball -to roll out onto the enclosed platform 42. How` uever, if the defense had not anticipated the ofvfenses play so that as a consequence the de- .fenses slide 16 did not out olf the ball-outlet port 29-from the escape-aperture 84' of the offenses slidathen the ball would be free to drop down into the upper end of the chute 56, and to be conveyed thereby to the yardage-area for scoring a long run, the length of which is indicated by the number in thebottom of the In a similar manner, yardage gains may be attempted in the other yardage-areas of the game apparatus. The scoring is done on the `football- .field board 92 shown in Fig. 12, each advance of the ball being marked by moving the peg 95 forwardlyv in the central line of apertures 94 '.of the football-field board and each first down being marked by the linesmens pegs S16- 96.

Rules of the game By operating the two pairs of slides in the manner described above and by following a prescribed set of rules, two opponentsmay play a game of football which follows very closely to regulation football.

' To this end, it isa rule of the game that -kicks at any time cannot be blocked and consequently when either side wishes to kick such as, for example, on kickoff, or punting for a eld goal, or for an extra point after touchdown, he must announce hisintention to his opponent.

For the kickoff, both sides set their respective pairs of slides for effecting a short pass. The marble will come to rest in one of the indentures of the corresponding yardage-area 44 and the number above the indenture will indicate the length ofthe kick, while the number below the indenture will indicate the run-back. As is done in regulation football games, thelength of the kick is measured oi fromthe -yard line, this measurement and the run-back beingu made on the football-eld board 92 to establish the position ofthe ball for first down and 10 yards to go, the position of the ball being indicated by the peg 95.

l For effecting a punt, both sides set their slides for a long pass. When the ball comes rto rest in one of the indentures of the yardage-area corresponding to long, passes, the number above the indenture is the length of the punt, and the number below the indenture is the length of Vthe run-back, the ultimate position of the ball being marked on the football-field board by'fthe peg 95 in the manner hereinabove described.

* For eld goals or an extra point after touchdovvn,both sides set their slides for a long run. No fieldv goal may be attempted until the oense is within`30 yards of the goal, and the successful "completion of the field goal or extra point isevidenced when the marble stops in one of the indentures ofthe long-run yardage-area 41 having the letter G therein, which stands for good If the marble stops in an indenture having the letters NG therein,A then the kick was no good, that is to say, unsuccessful.

A further rule of the game is that in the 'event the marble does not come to rest in any indenture of the yardage-areas, it constitutes a -yard penalty against the defense, whereupon the offense has the option of accepting the five yards and sacrificing the down, or refusing the five yards and taking the down over again. It will be noted, further, that some of the indentures are identified by the letters OB which denotes a fumble. If a ball comes to rest in an indenture so marked, the opponent recovers the ball (opponents ball) on the scrimmage line. The game also provides for intercepted passes which are indicated by the letters Inter. in some of the indentures of the yardage-areas 44 and 45. lhen a ball comes to rest in one of these indentures, the offense gains the number of yards marked in the indenture, but the defense takes possession of the ball. As noted above, when making a punt, both sides set their slides for a long pass, and to add further interest to the game, the rules providethat if the ball comes to rest in one of the indentures bearing the letters Inter., the punt is to be regarded as blocked and the ball then passes to the opponent on the scrimmage line. YFor alacrity and interest, it is a rule of the game that the marble must be put into play within ten seconds or else the team carrying the ball will be .penalized ve yards for delaying the game.

In brief then, a game is started in the usual manner by flipping a coin to determine which team will make the kickoff. Both sides will then set their operating-slides for a short pass as prescribed by the rules and the marble is then dropped by the offense into the pass-hole at the top of the closed ball-receiver. Since there is no opposition to the movement of the ball into the chutes, the ball Will move down into the yardage-area 44 for a short pass, the length of the kick being indicated by the numbers at the top of the indenture in which the marble rests, and the length of the run-back being indicated by the number below the indenture. The scrimmage line is then marked on the football-field board in the manner indicated above, and the teams are then ready for first down and ten yards to go. Subsequent plays are carried out by manipulation of the respective pairs of operatingslides, in the manner hereinabove described and in accordance with the prescribed rules.

By playing the game accordingly, the two op'- posing teams may experience the same competitive spirit and may be called upon to exercise the same degree of judgment and intuition as is requiredY in regulation football, the element of cha nce being a minor factor in scoring points. Although the apparatus does not embody means for indicating each down as it is played, it is Within the purview of the invention to include means on the football-field board for keeping track of each down, or to use a plurality of different-colored balls, ball-tripping means, or balls marked with numbers to indicate the sequence of plays. l

As pointed out earlier, the apparatus shown herein and described above is particularly adapted for playing a football game, but it is also within the purview of the invention to adapt the apparatus for playing games of a similar nature, the present apparatus being readily adapted to these purposes by alteration of the indicia carried thereon.

13 The invention may be carried :out in .other .Specic ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, land 'the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, andv all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I Claim:

l. A game apparatus comprising a play-scoring area; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-.Scoring area and having a ball-inlet and a ball-outlet port; ball-conveying means connected at its upper end to the said ball-outlet port of vsaid ball-receiver and at its lower end to said play-scoring area for delivering a ball thereto by gravity; and play-control means for controlling the egress of a ball -from the said outletport of said ball-receiver to said ball-conveying means for scoring a play, said control-means .Comprising apertured slide arranged between the said ball-outlet port of said receiver and the upper end of said ball-conveying means and operated by one player of said game, to select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of oiensive plays; and a second .aperF tured slide arranged between the said ball-outlet port of said receiver and the upper end of said ball-conveying means and operated by a second player to select without disclosure to the other player, any one of a plurality of defenses against any one ci said oiiensive plays.

2. A game apparatus comprising a play-scoring area; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring area and having a ball-inlet and a ball-outlet port; ball-conveying means connected at its upper end to the said ball-outlet port of said ball-receiver and at its lower end to said vplay-scoring area for delivering a ball thereto by gravity; play-control means for controlling the egress of a ball from the said outlet-port of said ball-receiver to said ball-conveying means for scoring a play, said control-means comprising an apertured slide arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet port of said receiver and the upper end of said ball-conveying means and operated by one player of said game to select, without disclosure `to va second player, any one of a plurality of oiensive plays; and a second apertured slide arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet port of said receiver and the upper end of said ball-conveying means and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other. player, any one of a plurality of defenses against any one of said offensive plays; and gate-means carried by said closed ball-receiver for retrieving a ball therefrom.

3. A game apparatus comprising a plurality vof play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas and having ball' inlet and ball-outlet ports and a floor board, said floor board being inclined downwardly from said ball-inlet ports to said ball-outlet ports to cause a ball in said receiver to roll by gravity from said inlet-ports down to said outlet-ports; ball-conveying means connected at their upper ends to the said ball-outlet ports of said ball-receiver and at their lower ends to said playfscoring areas for delivering a ball thereto by gravity; and playcontrol means for controlling the egress of a ballfrom the said ball-outlet ports of said ball-receiver to said ball-conveying means for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a set of .apertured Slides arranged between the said ball- Outlet ports of said ball-receiver and the upper ends or^ `said ball-,conveying means and operated jby vone `player of said Agame to simultaneously iselect, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays ,and any one .of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected oiensive play; and a second set of .apertured `slides arranged between the -said ball-outlet ports -of said ball-receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying means and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of said olensive plays.

4. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closedball-receiver arranged to divide said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each Compartment having a ball-inlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined iloor, the inclined door of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball in the corresponding compartment to roll lby gravity from the ball-,inlet port of the compartment to `its ball-outlet port; ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends to the said ball-outlet ports of said compartments and at their lower ends to said play-scoring areas for delivering a ball thereto by gravity; and playcontrol means for controlling the egress of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of said compartments to the ball-conveying chutes thereof for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a vset of apertured slides arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be ,attempted by the selected offensive play; and a second set of apertured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ballreceiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of said offensive plays.

5. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above .said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged todivide said 'closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a ballinlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined oor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball in the corresponding compartment to roll by gravity from the ballinlet port or the compartment to its ball-outlet port; ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends to the said ball-outlet ports of said compartments and at their lower ends to said play-scoring areas for delivering a ball thereto by gravity; ball-deflecting means in each compartment for guiding a ball therein into the re'- spective ball-outlet port thereof; 'and play-control means for controlling the escape of a ball from 'the ball-outlet ports of said compartments to the corresponding"ball-conveyingV chutes for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a p set of apertured slidesarranged on one side of of said ball-conveyingchutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and a second set of apertured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ballconveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of the offensive plays.

6. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said Aplay-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a ball-inlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined floor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from its respective ball-inlet port to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a second pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of ball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ball-receiver to its play-scoring areas; and play-control means for controlling the egress of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of said compartments to the corresponding pairs of ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a set of apertured slides arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of olfensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and a second set of apertured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of said offensive plays.

7. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a pair of ball-inlet ports, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined floor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from one of its respective ball-inlet ports to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the balloutlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a second pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of ball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ballreceiver to its play-scoring areas; a pair of ballconveying chutes in said closed ball-receiver, each of said chutes connecting one of the ball-inlet ports of one compartment with the opposite compartment of said ball-receiver whereby a ball introduced into the said one ball-inlet port of one compartment is conveyed by its respective chute to the outlet-port of the opposite compartment; and play-control means for controlling the escape of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of said comparts to the corresponding ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a set of apertured slides arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and a second set of apertured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of the offensive plays.

8, A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said -playscoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a pair of ball-inlet ports, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined floor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from one of its respective ball-inlet ports to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a second `pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the balloutlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of ball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ballreceiver to its play-scoring areas; a pair of ballconveying chutes in the said closed ball-receiver, each of said chutes connecting one of the ballinlet ports of one compartment with the opposite compartment of said ball-receiver whereby a ball introduced into the said one ball-inlet port of one compartment is conveyed by its respective chute to the outlet-port of the-opposite compartment; gate-means supported by said closed ball-receiver opposite each separate compartment thereof for retrieving a ball from each compartment; and play-control means for controlling the escape of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of said compartments to the corresponding ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a set of apertured slides arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said balloutlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and a second set of apertured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet 17 ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of the oiensive plays.

9. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas having indentures -provided with indicia; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver` into two separate compartments, each compartment 'having a ball-inlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined floor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from its respective ball-inlet port to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a second pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their u-pper ends in the ball-outlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of Iball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ball-receiver to its play-scoring areas; gate-means supported by said closed ballreceiver opposite each separate compartment thereof for retrieving a ball from each comparts ment; an enclosed platform opposite said gates for receiving a ball from said gates; and playcontrol means for controlling the escape of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of said compartments to the corresponding ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play, said control-means comprising a set of apertured slides arranged on one side of said closed ball-receiver between the said balloutlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, :without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected oiensive play; and a second set of aper- L tured slides arranged on the opposite side of said closed ball-receiver between the said ball-outlet ports of said receiver and the upper ends of said ball-conveying chutes and operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of the oiensive plays.

10. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a ball-inlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined floor, the inclined oor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from its respective ball-inlet port to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a sccond pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of ball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ball-receiver toits playscoring areas play-control means comprising two mutually-coacting independently-operable sets of CII apertured slides; and slide-supporting guidemeans secured to the underside of said inclined oors for slidably supporting said mutually-coacting independently-operable slides between the ball-outlet ports of the compartments and the upper ends of the two pairs of ball-conveying chutes, one of said sets of apertured slides being arranged to be operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and the second set of apertured slides being arranged to be operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of said offensive plays, thereby to control the egress of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of the compartments to the corresponding pairs of ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play.

11. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of play-scoring areas; a closed ball-receiver arranged above said play-scoring areas; a partition in said closed ball-receiver arranged to divide the said closed ball-receiver into two separate compartments, each compartment having a ball-inlet port, a ball-outlet port and an inclined oor, the inclined iioor of each compartment being arranged to cause a ball therein to roll by gravity from its respective ball-inlet port to its ball-outlet port; a pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of one compartment and at their lower ends to two of said play-scoring areas respectively; a second pair of ball-conveying chutes connected at their upper ends in the ball-outlet port of the second compartment and at their lower ends to two other play-scoring areas respectively, each of said pairs of ball-conveying chutes being adapted to deliver a ball by gravity from its respective compartment of said ball-receiver to its play-scoring areas; play-control means comprising two mutually-coacting independently-o-perable sets of slides; slide-supporting guide-means secured to the underside of said inclined oors for slidably supporting said mutually-coacting independently-operable slides between the ball-outlet ports of the compartments and at the upper ends of the two pairs of ball-conveying chutes, one of said sets of slides being arranged to be operated by one player of said game to simultaneously select, without disclosure to a second player, any one of a plurality of offensive plays and any one of a plurality of gains to be attempted by the selected offensive play; and the second set of apertured slides being arranged to be operated by said second player to select, without disclosure to the other player, a plurality of defenses against any one of said offensive plays, thereby to control the egress of a ball from the ball-outlet ports of the compartments to the corresponding pairs of ball-conveying chutes for scoring a play; and stop-means for limiting the sliding movement of said mutually-coacting independently-operable apertured slides.

VINCENT DE PALMA.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Bowen June 3, 1924 Number 

